Electric water-heater.



S. M. VALUES.

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER. APPUCATION HLED NOV. 2a. 1915.

1,265,554 Patented May 7,1918.

0 z k I E 20 may INVENTOR WITNESSES 2 I BY gag/1% UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

SALVADOR M. VALDES, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO I. H.

' SEIBER AND MRS. EVA H. KUH N.

nnnoraic WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1918.

To all whom it may cohce'rn: I, Be it known that I, SALVADOR M. Vamms,

a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the countyof Bexar and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Electric Water-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric Water heaters wherein spaced poleieces or terminals in the circuit are put mto, electrical connectionwith each other by the water which passes between them and thereforeserves as a resistance element.

Among the objects of the present invention is the employment of such adevice within a metallic shell or casing which, however, does not comeinto electrical connection with the live wire of the circuit, andtherefore the user gets'no shock.

Another object is to provide for the flow of the water through thedevice in a tortuous course both longitudinally and circumferentially soas to bring it into contact intimately with both faces of all pole,pieces as far as possible.

Other objects will appear in the followm specification and claim,reference being he to the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 1s afront elevat on of this invention,

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 thereof, and I j Fig. 3 is alongitudinal vertical section.

Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevations of two of the pole pieces or tubularelectrodes, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of one of the disks.

In my invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the numerals 12, 3 and 4 designate pole ieces or electrodes formed in the shape of 'tues nested within and yet out of metallic contact with each other, and

while I havesho wn four such tubes (see Fig.

4) I would-not be limited in this respect. The'innermost andfsrnallesttube 1;is slightly longer than the others and is threaded at oneextremity as seen at 5. At-'-t ,eir opposite extremities all tubes,includin binding posts in theshape bolts 6 with nuts 7 thereon. l Tea'r{the left end of the innermost tube'l, and of all others which would bearodd reference numerals (and which are connected with the live wire ofthe circuit asexplained below) is a hole 8; and near the right ends ofthe tubes which are connected with the return wireof the :tuous coursetobe follow is one, have of the tu left ends and-ti:

'1 an O? my aprrepri -typ set 110 circuit are holes 9. In Fig. 3 I haveshown the. various tubes as so arranged that all. these holes are abovethe axis of the entire device for a purpose yet to appear, but it isclear that by a different disposition of the tubes axiall a differentarrangementof the holes would result, causin adifierenttorby the wateras ex lained below. Against one end (here the le end) of the tube isdisposed a disk 10 of insulating material impervious to water, the samebeing provided-with a series of annular grooves 11 'for receiving theleft extremities of the tubes, and at proper points with holes 12through which pass the bolts 6 so that the nuts 7 may be applied totheir outer ends to hold the tubes in the grooves. Agzinst the oppositeextremities of the to s-is dispose a second and similar disk rovidcdwith like grooves ill-although the oles 12 are absent, and this disk hasa central threaded aperture 14: intowbich the threaded extremity 5 ofthe innermost .tube engages for the obvious purpose of holdinall thetubes properly spacedfroin' eac other b the grooves in the andboth theand; upon the extremities 'o thetubes as bestT-seen in Fi 3.The'bindinfilpostsof every other tube ginning with e'innermost areelectrically connected outside the left disk 10 as at 16, and the postsof the intermediate tubes are also connected as at 18, v and theconnecting straps are themselvesirespectively connected with the liVfBand return the return wire of the cable, for reasons which will beexplained'bel0w.f

The series oftubes abovedescribed is now inserted into a metallic shellor casing 20 of tubular shape 'which is of greaterinternal diameter thanany of the tubes and. into loo whichthe disks'lO and 13 fit closely sothat. Y the shell is. in'sulat'ed from the/tubes, the shell ofgreaterlen thanany md'. P 'Q]- -I w i he I cirbin posts fipfo'r apurposetdhaexplained. pon theextremi ties of this shall are mountedcupped 1:39;.

igs;

or caps 21 and 22, the former shown-im 3. as including a switch. or.circuit closer Fig. 3 the switch stem 23 extends through the center ofthe head 21 and carries a handle or key24 on-the exterior of the same,and within said cupped head such stem carries an arm 25 whoseextremities are ada ted to simultaneously make contact with t econnecting piece-16 and a plate 26 at the inner end of the live wire, orto be thrown out of contact with both of them b turning the stem bymeans of the key. T e return Wire being in constant contact as at 18with the return tubes, when the live wire is thrown into contact withthe live tubesthe circuit is complete as will be explained. I do notwish to be limited,'however, to this specific form of switch or circuitcloser, nor to its exact, location' but attention is directed to thefact that between the left disk 10 and thecupped. head 21 is a chamber27 surrounded by the left end of the casing 20, in which stand theterminals or binding posts of the tubes or electrodes, the extremitiesof ,the wires from the cable, and the switch; and no water eve'r entersthis chamber. A similar but small chamber 28 is formed by .7 the other.head 22 for a purpose to be explamed.

' With my invention, the watershould be admitted to the bottom of thecasing. By preference I use an inlet pipe 30 whose lower endcommunicates with a hole 31 in the shell or casing as best seen in Fig.2, and whose upper end has a coupling 32 by means of 1ch "it may beattached toan ordinary spigot of fiucet F. Connected as at 33 with theouter end o f/the right hand head 22 is an outlet. pipe 34 which ispreferably car ried downaround and under the casing, and inward to aboutthe center of the same where it delivers at the point 35 directly underthe mouth of the faucet; and therefore when this attachment is appliedto the latter the water will be delivered at the same point as from thefaucet, but a little lower. When the faucet is opened the course of thewater is as follows: Entering the bottom-of the casing at about thecenter of the length thereof as indicated at 31 in Fig. 2, the waterflows into the space 36 between the easing and the. outermost tube 4which, as above stated, is connected with the return wire of the cable,fills this space longitudinally and then rises within the shell aroundboth sides of the-tube until it reaches the hole 9 at the 'top of thelatter. Through this hole it flows into the second space 37 between thetubes 4 and 3, and at one end of both tubes because the hole 9 is at oneend of the tube 4. Falling on the tube 3, the water flows around thesame into the bottom of the space 37, wherein it flows longitudinal]within the outer tube 4 and fills up the si es of the space until itestablishes an electrical con- ,nection or short circuit between thesetubes or electrodes so that the current may pass through the water whichlatter forms a resistance element and therefore becomes heated to anextent. In similar manner the wat'ernow banks up within the annularspace between the tubes 4 and 3 until it nearly fills the same, when itpasses through the hole 8 at the left end of the tube 3 and drops intothe next space 38 between this tube and the tube 2; herein it followssubstantially the same course as above described, and finally flows intothe space between the tubes 2 and 1, as indicated at 39. This iscontinued throughout the entire series of tubes whether there be more orless than as shown, and eventually the water in a highly heatedcondition flows through the innermost hole 8 into the bore 40 of theinnermost and smallest tube 1, whence it passes into the chamber 28within, the right and cupped head 22, and flows along the outlet pipe 34to the oint 35 where-'t is delivered hot for use. i fits tightly withinthe casing 20 as'Pintend, no water may flow into the chamber 27 beyondit, and therefore neither the wires nor the switch can be'corroded orshort circuited. The-switch is moved by turning the key 24'from theexterionand the 'current can be cut otf'without interrupting the flow ofwater; therefore when the current is on warm water flows from the outlet35, and when the current is oil cold water may be drawn as soon as thewarm water within the device has passed through it. The de 9 of heatimparted to the water flowing t rough this device is dependent on thenumber of t-ubes'within the series, their dimensions, the temperature ofthe water flowin from the faucet F, and the strength of t e current.Exce ting the disks and insulating elements the evice may bemade entirelof metal andthe user cannot be shocked y placing his hand anywhere onthe exterior. While I- have shown'the-series of disks and casing asdisposed in a horizontal position in Fig. 1, and will doubtless employthat construction and arrangement when the deyicp is aplied to thespigot or faucet witlun a bat to arrange it in other ways to a apt itto'the f the left handkdisk 10 uses to which it is to be put. Obviously,

also, it is notnecessary that the holes 8 and 9 shall all be at the top,and bysetting the various tubes difierently on their axes with- .in thegrooves of the two disks it is clear that the water could be compelledto follow a tortuous course circumferentially of the battery, althoughthe alternate disposition .ofithe holes 8 and 9 at opposite ends of thebattery will compel the water always to follow a tortuous courselongitudinally thereof.

What is chimed as newjs: 4 In a water heater, the combination with ahorizontal cylindrical metallic shell having a water inlet in one side,insulating disks fitting closely within the shell nenr its ends, one oithem having il waiter outlet opening and [will of them having concentricgrooves in their faces, 31 series of mncentric nested nn-inllic tubesdisposed within the shell with their extremities in said grooves and oneextremity of the innermost tube projecting through said Uinliill", theinbes being provi 'ed with slilg'gfll't't water openings, an

projections on one end of said tubes passing through the renmining disk;of cupped ln-inls titted to the extremities of the said shell illHl withthe disks respectively producing chambers whereof one is in communiation with the central tube, n watcr-outlet pipe communicating with thehead of this chamber, connections within the other chamber between theprojections of certain tubes including the outermost; connectionsbetween the projections of the remaining tubes including the innermost,feed and re,- turn wires leading into this chamber, the return wiresbeing attached to the said firstnamed connections, and a Switch locatedwithin this chamber between the feed wire and the other connections andwith its handie projecting beyond the head, for the pur- )OSG described.

In testimong whereof I'Iafiix my si ature. ALVADQR M.

VAL ES.

